Dirt Roads

I
guess you could call it progress
the fact that there aren't any more dirt roadsleft in
the county
or in the state for that matter

people say its a good thing
and that it means we have modernized
to the point where we don't have to deal with the slowness
of dirt roads, their rocks, their ruts
their crankiness

but to me dirt roads were good things
reminders of a gentler past
when we still had connection to
the earth

we're all so sanitized now
with pavement, air conditioning
rolled up windows
we miss the lovely nuances of
those bumpy dirt roads

how the sides
of the road were narrow
the barbed wire fences leaning like drunks
the trees hanging over, shading the road
the sweet smells of clover, hay, fresh turned soil
the sun shining on a pond
the cows lowing in the pasture
the crows cawing in the woods
the farmer waving from his tractor
the feeling that we were a part of
the very goodness of the land

now we race
past
speeding on miles of pavement @ 75 mph
our minds on work
eyes staring straight ahead
our headphones on, our cell phones ringing
going so fast we don't see the beauty
we've become numbed by time and speed
not knowing the comforting closeness
of those old dirt roads

let's slow up
tap the brakes
let's pull off and see
if we can find that last dirt road
that leads over the creek that
sparkles like diamonds
with a voice that sings a song to any passerby
who wants to stop and listen

let's pull over
kill the engine
take off our shoes
and rub our toes
in the warmth of soil